Argentina's Jose Coceres kept his nerve on successive extra holes to edge Billy Mayfair in the WorldCom Classic and capture his first tournament on the PGA Tour.

Coceres' victory was only the third ever for a South American on the United States circuit.

Roberto de Vicenzo of Argentina and Carlos Franco of Paraguay are the other South Americans with victories on the PGA Tour.

"It was always my thought that I was going to win this tournament, but not with such a high difficulty," Coceres said through an interpreter.

"I had the first chance on the 18th hole for a three-footer and later on, I had to make an unbelievable three on 17.

"Then on 18, I played from the hazard and I am happy the crocodile wasn't around there because I have seen it around this place. There are a lot of crocodiles."

Actually they are alligators.

Coceres, 37, had never finished higher than 14th in nine previous PGA Tour events, and came very close to giving this tournament away.

Darkness had forced postponement of the play-off on Sunday after two holes, and when play resumed this morning Coceres found himself in a position to win the tournament on the fourth-play-off hole, the par-fourth, 18th.

With both men on the green in three, Mayfair needed to hole a 10-footer for a par while Coceres was within three feet of the hole.

Mayfair's shot missed by a foot and all Coceres needed to do was sink his putt to win.

However, he was very tentative with his putt, nearly hitting the ball twice, and it rolled past the hole.

Both men bogeyed the hole and play was then continued on the par three, 17th.

Mayfair's tee shot landed on the green, about 12 feet from the pin but Coceres' shot caught the left of the greenside bunker.

Mayfair's birdie putt rolled past the hole by a foot and a half and Coceres' second shot landed on the fringe of the bunker about two feet off the green.

It was then the Argentinian got bold and he struck the ball firmly, knocking it straight into the hole to save par.

Mayfair also parred the hole, sending the play-off to a fifth hole.

Playing the 18th hole again, both hit good tee shots into the middle of the fairway.

But, while Mayfair's second shot missed the green by a foot and a half, Coceres nearly hit his into the marshy water on the back right side of the green.

The ball landed in heavy rough and it appeared Coceres was facing a certain bogey.

However, he hit a spectacular shot from the marsh, the ball landing just four feet short of the hole.

Mayfair's third shot rolled past the hole by five feet, and he missed his putt to the left before Coceres won the tournament by sinking his putt for a par.

"The shot was almost unplayable," Coceres said.

"I couldn't do anything else, so ... I would have lost either way. Doesn't matter if it was unplayable or not. I would have played it the same way. I couldn't go backwards. I could just hit the weeds and just make it go."

Even Mayfair was amazed at Coceres' shot.

"That up-and-down, I didn't see his lie all that much, but I know he was standing on water there a little bit to get that up-and-down for four is just incredible."

The two had finished the 72 holes at 11-under-par 272, one stroke better than four players.

They each had parred the first two holes of sudden death Sunday before dusk set in at the Harbour Town Golf Links and forced officials to halt play.

Coceres earned 630,000 US dollars with the victory his first payday ever at a PGA Tour event but perhaps more importantly for the Argentinian, he earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

"The victory is very important to me," Coceres said.

"Obviously, you are looking for a difference. It has nothing to do with the money. At that point you are looking for exemptions, looking for the trophy, looking for the win."

Coceres, of course, is no stranger to the winner's circle.

He won the Dubai Classic earlier this year and has won four tournaments in Argentina.

He also won the 1994 Heineken Open in Europe.

This is third event on the PGA Tour this season to be stretched to Monday, but the first in a play-off.

Rookie Garrett Willis won the Tucson Open in January and Tiger Woods claimed the Players Championship last month.

It also is the third tournament to go to extra holes.

Phil Mickelson won a three-way play-off at the Buick Invitational in February and Robert Allenby won a record six-way play-off at the Nissan Open two weeks later.

The best player on Sunday was lefthander Steve Flesch, who proved good scores were possible in the final round, shooting a 63 to reach nine-under 275 and tie four-time winner Davis Love III and Mark Brooks for seventh.

Vijay Singh of Fiji started the day with a two-stroke lead but shot a 74 and slipped into a tie for third with Bernhard Langer of Germany, Carl Paulson and Scott Verplank at 274.

A two-time winner in Europe this season, Singh again challenged for his first PGA Tour title since last year's Masters but ended up with his sixth top-seven finish.

He was three-over for the day after a double-bogey at the par-four eighth.

Final-round scores from the Worldcom Classic, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island (USA unless stated, Par 71):

273 J Coceres (Arg) 68 70 64 71, B Mayfair 65 68 69 71 (Coceres won play-off after 5th extra hole)

274 B Langer (Ger) 69 69 67 69, C Paulson 71 63 71 69, V Singh (Fij) 65 68 67 74, S Verplank 68 67 69 70

275 M Brooks 66 69 71 69, D Love III 68 67 71 69, S Flesch 71 69 72 63

276 B Andrade 66 67 73 70, S Cink 69 71 70 66

277 P Azinger 69 71 68 69, T Bjorn (Den) 69 70 71 67, M Campbell (Nzl) 72 65 69 71, D Frost (Rsa) 69 69 72 67, D Hart 66 71 69 71, L Mattiace 68 68 68 73, R Mediate 66 71 74 66, D Paulson 71 68 67 71, B Elder 66 69 72 70

278 F Allem (Rsa) 73 67 71 67, S Ames (Tri) 71 69 69 69, J Durant 69 68 72 69, L Janzen 69 71 67 71, B May 69 71 70 68, C Pavin 69 70 69 70, M Sposa 67 67 70 74

Selected others:

279 T Lehman 66 66 72 75, J Parnevik (Swe) 68 69 72 70

280 M Calcavecchia 66 71 71 72, G Norman (Aus) 69 71 71 69

282 J Daly 73 66 67 76, N Price (Zim) 70 72 69 71

283 N Faldo (Gbr) 70 71 70 72

285 P Harrington (Irl) 70 71 72 72